Who says that watching TV is bad for you? Kids, listen up - According
to a new study, watching your favorite TV reruns may actually be good
for you:

A new paper that describes two studies by Jaye Derrick, PhD, research
scientist at the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions,
found that watching a rerun of a favorite TV show may help restore the
drive to get things done in people who have used up their reserves of
willpower or self-control.

"People have a limited pool of these valuable mental resources,"
explains Derrick. "When they use them on a task, they use up some
of this limited resource. Therefore, they have less willpower and self-control
for the next task.

"With enough time, these mental resources will return. However,
there may be ways to more quickly restore them."

One of these ways is to re-watch your favorite TV show, Derrick's research
found. Doing so, she says, taps into the surrogate relationship people
form with the characters in their favorite shows. We find it comforting,
mainly because we already know what the characters are going to say
and do. All we have to do is sit back and enjoy it.

"When you watch a favorite re-run, you typically don't have to
use any effort to control what you are thinking, saying or doing. You
are not exerting the mental energy required for self-control or willpower,"
Derrick explains. "At the same time, you are enjoying your 'interaction,'
with the TV show's characters, and this activity restores your energy."